There’s also reigning IHRA Summit SuperSeries World Champion Grant Zimmerman, who is back in Mississippi to defend his title. The Illinois racer brought his familiar red Mustang to the drag strip with the goal of holding the prestigious IHRA Ironman trophy again.

“It feels good to be back, have a second shot at it and try to do it again,” Zimmerman said. “I’m excited to see what it holds for me. IHRA offers such good things for the Sportsman racer. They give the little guys the opportunity to come here and race for big money and prestige.”

Zimmerman loves the camaraderie at events like the IHRA Summit Team Finals and IHRA Summit SuperSeries World Finals. His neighbor parked next to him ran an extra power cord over to his trailer where Zimmerman didn’t have to fire up his generator all weekend. 

“You meet great people you would never get the chance otherwise,” Zimmerman said.

There’s also the term, “racing family,” which is truly the case with Charlie and Wesley Lockhart. The brothers both qualified for the IHRA Summit SuperSeries World Finals presented by Strange Engineering. Charlie is here for Beacon Dragway, while Wesley is the No Box representative for Gleason Raceway Park.

“It’s a good deal to be racing here with my brother. It’s something you work for all year,” Charlie said. “I shouldn’t be here as Wesley won the points for both tracks, but he chose to come with Gleason so it gave me the opportunity to be here.”

Wesley was certainly glad to share the big stage with his brother. 

“It’s pretty cool to be here. Our dad started in ’93 and brought us in ’96 with the juniors,” Wesley said. “We’ve actually been here the last two years together, so it’s a family affair.”

The brothers love the competition, but are just as big fans of the atmosphere at the major IHRA races. From Friday’s Race of Champions and Racer Appreciation Party to Saturday’s main event or just kicking back and relaxing in the pits, there’s plenty to enjoy on and off the track.

“It’s good to race with IHRA. You can tell they care about the Sportsman racer,” Charlie said. “Larry Jeffers has done a good job promoting the IHRA and Paige Hamlin has been a godsend with a lot of good ideas. Anybody that hasn’t experienced one of the races, whether an IHRA Summit Team Finals or IHRA World Finals, I highly recommend you come check it out even if you’re not racing.”

The brothers also appreciate the hands-on approach with the IHRA. They spent time talking to IHRA CEO and Owner Larry Jeffers and IHRA President Mel Roth on Thursday night.

“Larry Jeffers and Mel Roth came around talking to all the people,” Wesley said. “Larry talked to us like he’d known us his whole life. They truly make you feel at home. I look at the IHRA Summit Team Finals and it’s so nice to race with people you’ve been racing against all year. Then, the World Finals, it’s an amazing experience. You race against the best there is and see how you measure up.”

Even if you’re not at the IHRA Summit SuperSeries World Finals presented by Strange Engineering, you can still keep up with all the action live through IHRA TV. Click here for the link to the IHRA TV channel on YouTube.